Kids can create buildings and structures that are taller than they are with the ÜberTropolis 601 set. It includes complete instructions for four different towers, including one to build a 5' tower with a flag to put at the top.

The Advanced Kit contains 600 plastic pieces. “I-Gami is based on a totally new concept from other construction toys. The secret is it’s a block that can be manipulated in thousands of ways by changing the angles and folds,” Gerry Pascoe of Plastic Play told TDmonthly. It was named one of the 100 Best Children’s Products of 2006 by Dr. Toy.

A new twist (or should we say a new “fold”) to the ancient Japanese art of origami, i-gami allows a child to create lightweight models of any shape or form; simple or advanced; geometrical, abstract or realistic. With three different sets (Animals, Deep Sea and Flight), each kit contains five different shapes in assorted colors to create the images shown, or anything else the imagination desires.

It will take young builders five to 25 minutes to fit the eight pieces together to form a football. The included stand can be used to aid in the assembly and to keep it from falling apart. It even looks nice on office desks of Monday morning quarterbacks.

Players assemble the included 13 building pieces to form a cone. Although the topmost piece is easy to locate, sorting out which three cubic pieces form the interior and how to fit together the remaining nine pieces will take from 15 to 30 minutes.

This popular San Francisco landmark is the first of the company's new series of foiled models — paper skyscrapers with shiny metallic windows. It comes in a white and steel color card with silver foil either in a scale of 1/1000 with dimensions of 3.1" by 3.1" by 10.2" for $14.99 or in a scale of 1/1500 with dimensions of 2.4" by 2.4" by 6.9" for $11.99.

Little architects will find creative inspiration in a jar! The new clear storage format contains a versatile mix of roof tiles, doors, windows and bricks which are complemented by the reintroduction of LEGO trees and flowers to create houses — from small cottages to big mansions. The jar with lid makes clean up fun and easy and helps keep all of the 233 pieces in one place.
— “Any LEGO product, I can't keep them on the shelf,” said Warren Brown, owner of French’s Toy Shop in Concord, N.H.  “It has a wide age-range and has universal appeal,” pointed out Joseph Baiocco, manager of Big Top of Scarsdale, in N.Y.
— LEGO products can be "low cost items that can easily add to other LEGO creations or be used alone," Angel Stahl, owner of Angel’s Toy Barn in Greensburg,  Pa., told TDmonthly. 
— TDmonthly recently spoke with with Michael McNally, the Director of LEGO Brand Relations, who said, "The entire LEGO Creator Classic Building Line got a new twist this year with several sets designed to offer unique collections of LEGO bricks and elements to help young builders create the cars, homes, and buildings they see throughout their every day."

Capitalizing on the fastest-growing trend in construction, Mega Bloks brings magnetic play to preschoolers with the launch of Magtastik.TM  MagtastikTM is the only preschool activity and learning system that uses magnetic wonder to build fun shapes. Children can create and discover magnetic fun with open-ended creativity to ignite their imagination! It could inspire the next Picasso artist, the next Frank Getty architect, or the next Einstein scientist. The set comes in Primary (#429) and includes 10 balls, 18 rods and 2 special pieces.

This set contains 875 interlocking 3/8" pieces. These multicolored translucent pegs give a stained glass look to 2- and 3-D designs. It includes a deluxe playbook.
— "I think people like them because of the intricacy of putting the pieces together. It's very different. It's acrylic and you have to slide the pieces to keep them together," Patti Tepper–Rasmussen, owner of Learning Tree Toys, Games & Books Inc. in Oklahoma City, Okla., told TDmonthly.
— "Last-minute gifts tend to be Pixel Blocks....Every single piece is the same size. They're like same-size LEGOs. They also lock together sideways," Added Tristan Hewitt, manager at Dragon's Toy Box in Seattle, Wash.
— As described on Amazon.com, "Pixel Blocks can express any mood, from the vibrancy of children's toys to the subtle shading of a photograph. "

This set contains 1200 interlocking 3/8" pieces. These multicolored translucent pegs give a stained glass look to 2- and 3-D designs. It includes a deluxe playbook.

This set contains 2000 interlocking 3/8" pieces. These multicolored translucent pegs give a stained glass look to 2- and 3-D designs. It includes a deluxe playbook.

This colorful plastic origami kit is designed with girls in mind. Young builders can fold, snap and bend super-hinged plastic pieces into any shape they want, and the finished plastic pieces will hold their shapes. A basic starter kit, intermediate kit and advanced kit are also available.

Kids can fold, snap and bend super-hinged plastic pieces into any shape they want, and the finished plastic pieces will hold their shapes. Based on the principles of paper origami, the starter kit has 150 plastic pieces in five different styles. An intermediate set of 350 plastic pieces ($30.00) and an advanced kit of 590 plastic pieces ($45.00) are also available.

The UberStix in this set are variously colored and composed of varied materials. The Stix have been designed specifically for constructing “fantastic representations of buildings and bridges or your own designs,” inventor Dane Scarborough told TDmonthly Magazine. “They don’t look like toys. They look very industrial, modern or gothic — whatever the builder’s intention is. The product debuted at Toy Fair 2006 and will ship in July 2006. Sets range in price from $99.99 to $300.00.

Build representations of existing skyscrapers, bridges & other structures

Create prototypes of your own designs

Basic building techniques are provided which show you how to create load-bearing walls, curves, arches etc.

For Architects, Engineers, Students and anyone that loves to build!

Architectural Colors Include:
Black, ship Metal Gray, Sandstone, Clear, Clear-Green, Clear-Blue, Steel, Aluminum, Brick Red & Concrete Gray. New colors released each year.

Kids can build a functional catapult and learn the physics that make launching objects through the air possible. The catapult itself only requires 90 of the kit’s 181 pieces, leaving plenty of extra pieces to upgrade and explore new design options. As part of the company's Science Project Series, this kit includes a Lab Sheet to test and record a series of suggested experiments."Our construction system is much more diverse than other products, offering integration with other construction sets (Lego, K'nex, Zoobs, Zomes) as well as with recycled materials (Popsicle sticks, McDonald's straws, egg cartons, water bottles). This offers limitless possibilities for children (and adults) to build structures taller than themselves. [Our products] are not available in the mass-market stores," COO Julie Bell of Uberstix told TDmonthly. The Uberpult received the 2007 Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award in both Toys/Games and Educational Products categories. It also received The Toy Man Online 2007 Seal of Approval, Award of Excellence and eChoice Award. Launch date: September 2006.

Superstructs Makin' Tracks gives young engineers everything they need to build a colorful train, rugged outback explorer, hard-working tow truck and much much more. It comes with large, vibrant pieces and a visual construction guide that make for easy building and plenty of happy travels. With 160 pieces, children will never run out of ideas or possibilities. Makin' Tracks has already received the 2006 "Smart Play/Smart Toy" award from Dr. Toy. Launch date: June 2006.
— “Superstructs by Waba” was cited as a best seller by Jane Beck, owner of B.J. Beck’s Toys in Cedarburg, Wis.
— Two of 39 specialty retailers told TDmonthly in spring 2007 that Waba was makin’ tracks with sales in their stores.
— “The Superstructs Makin’ Tracks was actually designed together with kids. It involves stay-together models and is also designed for post-build play,” said Owner David McCloskey of Waba Fun.

Kids can make a finely detailed replica of the famous New York bridge easily from pre-cut cardboard parts, either in steel or copper color on a 1/1000 scale. The size when assembled is 39 x 1,5 x 3,2 inches / 100 x 4 x 8 cm. The level of difficulty is “medium.” The kit debuted in May 2006.

The Cruiser R/C comes in three parts so kids can snap it together, add pieces between the sections to create a dragster or a limousine, or build on the chassis after they snap the sections together. The set includes 55 ZOOB pieces, 4 extra wheels (for a total of 8), and instructions for all of the models in the Racer.
— “We sell approximately six per month,” said Diana Gisolfu, co-owner of Sisters Kids in Springfield, Mass., in Fall 2010. One other of 33 retailers interviewed by TDmonthly said that Zoob was their only RC or hobby line.

The ZOOBMobile Car Designer Kit includes 76 pieces, 12 wheels, and three instruction guides that include all the models from the Racer Set plus special models like a 12-wheeler flatbed truck. It debuted within the last year.

Infinitoy has re-invented the wheel with its ZOOBMobile Car Sets. Each set comes with ZOOB pieces, instruction guides and sturdy wheels with rubber tires that snap onto ZOOB pieces. As a bonus, the wheels are notched so that they can work like gears. The ZOOBMobile Racer includes 37 ZOOB pieces, four wheels and two instruction guides with models such as a three-wheeled racer, a Lunar Rover, and a dune buggy. This model debuted within the last year.
—  “Zoob race cars … [we sell] maybe two or three per day,” Greg Bonner, owner of Heights Toy Store in Little Rock, Ark., told TDmonthly in April 2008.
— “Zoob race cars are our best right now. We sell about one a week,” Steve Ricks, owner of My Story House Toys in Roswell, Ga., told TDmonthly in April 2008.
— In April of 2008, four of 50 retailers who spoke with TDmonthly singled out this item as the best-selling construction toy in their stores.

LEGO Bionicle top the list. One of the newest characters, Avak, the chief of the Piraka's armoury, can make a tool or weapon out of virtually anything. If it comes to a fight he relies on his Zamor Sphere Launcher and seismic pickaxe jackhammer combination. The boys eat up the Bionicle myth, and they buy each new character as it comes out in toy form.
— Pat Selby, 20-year owner of Calico Cats LLC in West Bainbridge Island, Wash., points out that LEGO Bionicles are his number one seller for boys between 9 and 12.
— Jordan Walden, 31 years in the toy business and manager of Finegans Toys and Gifts in Portland, Ore., concurs: “The best selling toy for boys 9 to 12 are the LEGOs.”
— Emily, “She Who Has Been There The Longest," of Ambassador Toys in San Francisco also finds the LEGOs to be at the top of the list for this age group.

Included in a handy storage case, this set of 16 easy-snap pieces can be used to make a gaggle of goofy monsters. The characters'  blinkin' eyes come to life with one simple touch.
— Heather Downs, manager of The Toy Shop in Bethel, Maine, said K’NEX sell well at her store.
— Marc Truax, store manager of Try & Buy Toy Stores in Katonah, N.Y., said that KID K’NEX products sell well with boys in this age group because the pieces snap together to make funny creations.
— "Within this age bracket, Blinkin' Monsters is one of K'NEX's bestsellers," said Rebeca Schiller, public relations representative for the company.

Thok's plan is to convince all the other Piraka that he is on their side, and then betray them. He has the power to bring inanimate objects to life to serve him and spellbinder vision to disorient a foe. If those fail, he relies on his ice peg and ice gun to freeze enemies, and his zamor spheres to make them slaves. Thok comes with zamor spheres and a launcher. His Piraka eyes light up and his teeth glow in the dark.
— Pat Selby, owner of Calico Cats LLC in West Bainbridge Island, Wash, said these are a huge hit with boys aged 4 to 8.
— Karen Fox, owner of Woodbury Mountain Toys in Montpelier, Vt., said LEGOs are her top seller for that age group of boys.
— At G. Willikers in Portsmouth, N.H., this series comes in at 5th place of the store’s top sales points, the owners told TDmonthly.

Now kids can build thirteen different bridges that connect our world! Models include replicas of the Firth of Forth Cantilever Bridge (Scotland), Tower Bascale Bridge (London), Golden Gate Suspension Bridge (San Francisco), Chesapeake Bay Beam Bridge (Virginia Beach), Columbia River - Astoria Truss Bridge (Oregon), Sydney Harbor Arch Bridge (Australia) and the Dames Point Cable-Stayed Bridge (Jacksonville). This set was first introduced in 2004.

The Real Bridge Building Set builds seven 5’ long replicas of real world bridges, one per bridge type, two at a time. Models include replicas of the Firth of Forth Cantilever Bridge (Scotland), Tower Bascale Bridge (London), Golden Gate Suspension Bridge (San Francisco), Chesapeake Bay Beam Bridge (Virginia Beach), Columbia River - Astoria Truss Bridge (Oregon), Sydney Harbor Arch Bridge (Australia) and the Dames Point Cable-Stayed Bridge (Jacksonville, Fla.). Curriculum offers key features of each bridge type, statistics on each, and building challenges for each bridge type, written to middle school National Standards in Science and Technology. It supports six to eight students.
— K’NEX is the best-selling transformable toy line at Learning Express in North Hampton, N.H., reported manager Linda Doucette.
— “K'NEX is one of our first toys we started out with, and they've done very well for us,” said Kim Drilling, a three-year employee of the 4-year-old Fat Brain Toys in Elkhorn, Neb.
— Real Bridge Building was the hands-down favorite of both the Moms and kids in TDmonthly's Homeschooling Roundtable for being educational and fun. “They’ve played and played and played with it,”  between May and July 2006 , said mom Susan Ledford.  “I’ve built about four of the bridges and I’ve built different things, too,” 11-year-old Sara Seagle told TDmonthly. 
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